Pick, Prediction, & Preview:

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Nebraska Cornhuskers

The fighting Illini of Illinois will continue their final stretch of the season in visiting Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska, as they will face the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday afternoon at 3 pm EST. The Illini finally picked up a win in beating the Minnesota Golden Gophers last Saturday as they put up 430 yards on the ground led by Reggie Corbin with 13 rushes with 213 yards along with two TD’s. The Cornhuskers fought valiantly on the road versus the Ohio State Buckeyes last Saturday, however, could not follow through during the critical moments as they fell by a 36-31 score. The last time these two teams met was on September 29, 2017 as the Huskers picked up the 28-6 road win behind 165 yards rushing for the game while their passing game averaged 10.3 yards per catch.

Illinois Fighting Illini's Latest Performance :

Illinois put up 430 yards on the ground versus the Golden Gophers in their last victory as Reggie Corbin has led the team in total touchdowns for the season while approaching the 1000 rushing yard mark. Furthermore, Corbin has put up 100 or more rushing games in four of the last five games for the Fighting Illini while scoring five touchdowns during this time. They are playing for a bowl game at this point in the season as they need two wins to become eligible. With remaining games coming at home versus Iowa along with one the road at the East division’s top seeded team in Northwestern to end the season, this will certainly not be easy, particularly with their defense allowing so many points lately.

In all, the Illinois defense has allowed 48 points per game in their last four outings while their average for the year is 36.9 per game. In other words, they must be able to get more out of their defense in which to have a chance versus a Cornhusker team that has a balanced attack that ranks in the top 50 in both their passing and rushing attack.

Nebraska Cornhuskers's Latest Performance :

The Cornhuskers have had a terrible season in going 2-7 overall while being 1-5 in the Big Ten West division. And while they won two straight prior to their visit to Columbus, Ohio to which they suffered the six point loss. On that note, they simply would like to end the season with some form of consistency to provide the basis for next year. The problem is that their defense has really been dismal in allowing 34 points per game to their opponents. They also allow a total of 443 yards per outing. With that being the case, they exceeded their total yards allowed average versus the Buckeyes as they allowed 480 yards for the day while also allowing them to put up 229 yards on the ground.

Dwayne Haskins put up 252 yards for OSU while having two TD’s and a pick while JK Dobbins was the player of the game with 163 yards along with three rushing touchdowns as the Cornhuskers allowed 30 or more points in six of their nine games this year. They may certainly have a chance in this matchup with Illinois if only they are able to stop their rushing attack, which ranks 11th in the country with 250 yards per game.

How Illinois Fighting Illini & Nebraska Cornhuskers Matchup.

Vegas Odds, Offshore Odds, & Odds ATS:

Illinois is 3-5 ATS while the OU is 4-4

Nebraska is 2-5-1-ATS while the OU is 5-3

In-Depth Analysis of each team:

Look for this game to mean much more to the Fighting Illini as they certainly need some critical wins coming down the stretch in which to ensure themselves a bowl game. On the other hand, the Cornhuskers would love to play spoiler in this outing as they are playing much better lately yet continue to suffer from defensive issues as well. Expect this to be a high scoring affair to where both defenses will be exploited even further by two offense that are very efficient in the rushing game. On the other hand, the passing game for the Cornhuskers can be equally as dangerous.

Against The Spread Selection: Pick: Nebraska Cornhuskers

My reason for the pick :

While the Cornhuskers came up short versus the Buckeyes in their last time out while missing out on their third straight win, one can conclude that they racked up a huge amount of confidence in playing so competitively with OSU on the road. With that being said, look for the Cornhuskers to really play well in this outing in which to pick up a much-needed win to finish off their tumultuous season on a great note. And while the Illini has a devastating rushing attack, look for the rush defense for the Cornhuskers to show and prove in what will be a low scoring affair to where momentum will swing back and forth throughout.

Totals Selection: Pick: Under

My reason for the prediction :

I will back the under in this contest as both defenses may indeed leave it all on the field after this game is over, the offenses will struggle as a result, thus allowing the under to be the logical play. In other words, Nebraska will be up for the challenge in neutralizing the dangerous offense in Illinois while scoring just enough to get the win. In all, the under will indeed be the strong play in this instance.

Betting trends for Illinois Fighting Illini:

The total has gone OVER in 5 of Illinois’s last 6 games

Illinois is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games on the road

The total has gone OVER in 4 of Illinois’s last 5 games on the road

Betting trends for Nebraska Cornhuskers:

Nebraska is 8-15 ATS in its last 23 games

The total has gone OVER in 5 of Nebraska’s last 7 games

Nebraska is 1-11 ATS in its last 12 games at home

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Nebraska’s last 5 games when playing Illinois

Falepa

A sports analyst and enthusiast, Filipa enjoys writing articles for NHL, NBA, NCAAB, and, of course, for NCAAF. In addition, he enjoys the true art of breaking down games in such as way as to locate certain trends that can impact future contests. With a willingness to research, construct, and relay information that any reader can understand, Filipa aims to provide the reader with interesting & indepth knowledge for upcoming sporting events.